The role of contemporary computers continues to evolve as a tool used for communications and media applications. Personal computers offer many new and exciting media applications for personal entertainment such as live television, personal video recording, playing or recording digital music, displaying or creating digital photographs, playing movies recorded on a DVD, and so forth. Video controls may be provided by a video application through its software user interface for interacting with video supported by that application. However, such video controls are not available system-wide to other applications for users to control different video content.
In addition to handling media applications and customary communication applications such as email, instant messaging, fax communications, and so forth, with the introduction of Voice-over-IP (VOIP) and other IP telephony applications, computers may also be used for handling phone calls and voice mail. A personal computer with integrated telephony can enhance voice and video communication in ways that empower the user while increasing user productivity and enjoyment. For example, a personal computer may be designed that is capable of accepting incoming calls of various kinds such as analog Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), private branch exchange (PBX), cellular telephony, VoIP, and/or cellular telephony. Application programs may use VOIP telephony, instant messaging and videoconferencing by integrating the use of a microphone, speakers and camera.
While many media and communications programs work with video, such programs are neither intuitive nor straightforward for users to work with, nor consistent in how users interact with them. What is needed is a simplified system and method for a user to interact with these various communications and media applications, in a consistent way across these communication modalities. The system and method should operate in what is perceived to be an intelligent manner with respect to handling video communications. For example, capturing a video stream or still images, answering a phone call that supports video, and/or switching communications to and from video are possible usage scenarios that would benefit from improved video communications handling.